NCIS agent to plead guilty in bribery case

San Diego  A Navy criminal investigator tied to the “Fat Leonard” contractor bribery scandal is set to plead guilty next week — the first plea deal in the case involving allegations of naval leaders trading insider information in exchange for prostitutes and luxury travel.

John Beliveau II, a supervisory special agent with the Navy Criminal Investigative Service, will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery on Tuesday in San Diego federal court, said his attorney, Jan Ronis.

“He’s accepting responsibility and is prepared to move forward with his life,” Ronis said Thursday. “This is an uncharacteristic event in his life and a catastrophic mistake.”

Sentencing would likely be put off for three to four months, Ronis said. The terms of the plea deal have not been made public.

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Leonard Francis, the Singapore-based Navy contractor at the center of the scandal, is accused of plying Beliveau, 44, with bribes to get information on the Navy’s criminal investigation into Francis’ dealings with other Navy officials.

The 49-year-old Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard” for his girth, is a well-known figure in Navy circles through his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, which has held millions and millions of dollars in contracts with the military over the years. The company provides husbanding services for ships, including food, fuel, security and water.

So far, two Navy commanders have been charged in the case, although other high-ranking members have been reassigned or had their access to classified information yanked as the investigation widens.

Cmdrs. Jose Luis Sanchez, 41, and Michael Misiewicz, 46, who are charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, are accused of accepting similar bribes for steering Navy business to Francis’ company at various ports.

Beliveau, based in the agency’s Quantico, Va., office, gave Francis investigative reports and kept him up to date on the probe, according to prosecutors.

The two enjoyed a frank relationship, court documents suggest.

Upon Beliveau’s transfer to Quantico, he emailed Francis: “I will always be your friend ... but you will get nothing else ... until I get what you promise. ... You give whores more money than me;) Don’t get too busy that you forget your friends. ... Let me know... I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. ... I’m not an amateur.”

Francis replied: “You are a sore Bitch and I have not forgotten you Bro ... How do I send you a gift?”

The pair exchanged more than 1,100 text messages over a 16-month period, according to prosecutors.

Some of the classified investigative files shared with Francis had to do with related accusations that his company was greatly overbilling the Navy for its services, court documents state. Francis’ 40-year-old cousin, Alex Wisidagama, who works as a Glenn Defense Marine manager, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection to those allegations.

Once authorities caught onto the breach at NCIS, they planted fake reports in the system that said the investigation into Francis was closed, hoping to lull Francis into a false sense of security, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Huie.